This Week @ MIIS

The fastest growing group in the American electorate is Hispanic voters, and many pundits believe the results of the 2016 presidential election may rest in their hands. 

In this political environment, the national media viewed the hiring of Jorge Silva MAIPS ´11 as director of Hispanic media for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign as a sign of the high stakes involved. Jorge, who is credited with developing and implementating Hispanic media strategy in several Western states as the senior strategist for the Senate Democratic Caucus, previously served as senior adviser to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

“Secretary Clinton is a strong supporter of comprehensive immigration reform,” says Jorge, who currently commutes between the Clinton campaign offices in Brooklyn and Washington D.C., where he lives with his wife, Elizabeth Romanoff Silva MPA ’11. He is excited to take on the rigors of a presidential campaign.

Jorge is the campaign’s official spokesperson for Spanish-language audiences, and a large part of his job is to help the press and public understand complicated policy issues. “One of the big challenges is appealing to Hispanic communities in both languages,” he says, and the Institute prepared him well. “Working with diverse groups of classmates on policy projects helped me get a better grip on how to talk to people about complex issues,” he says. He also noted that his Institute experiences helped him learn to work with people with different sets of skills toward a common goal.

With notable exceptions, most presidential hopefuls have their own plans for media outreach to the Hispanic electorate. It appears that the first big test for Jorge will come on February 20th, when Nevada voters vote in the first caucus in the West. A large youth population and hitherto low voter turnout make Hispanic voters a key strategic focus for both parties. Jorge says he has full confidence in his team and hopes to continue working with them on longterm Hispanic outreach strategies beyond the 2016 election. 

Before coming to the Institute, Jorge was a lawyer in his native Mexico. He moved to Monterey to be with Elizabeth, then his fiancée, and intended to work at the Monterey Bay Aquarium while she completed her degree. But he soon became so interested in her studies that he enrolled at the Institute as well.

Jorge and Elizabeth’s strong bond with the Institute community includes having their great friend and mentor Professor Adele Negro officiate at their wedding. They are also part of a strong network of alumni in Washington D.C. that includes two of Jorge’s friends from the Senate. “It’s easy to become friends with the people you work with, because you all believe in the same ideals,” he says, “but the connection seems to run even deeper with classmates, and we’re able to rely on each other for connections, tips and information.”

Whether she is interpreting for medical patients, translating for political protests, or speaking out as a member of MIIS Student Council, Cecilia Tang MATI ’17 thrives on giving voice to the voiceless. Tang, a first-year student in the Institute’s Translation and Interpretation program, is originally from Hong Kong, but since completing high school she’s spent her time studying, working, and traveling in other countries. “I’ve always wanted to broaden my horizons and learn more about the world,” says Tang.

Tang completed her bachelor’s degree at the University of Michigan, where she majored in comparative cultures and politics. During her final year, she volunteered at 7C Lingo, a language service provider. This was Tang’s first time interpreting, and she was thrown in as a medical interpreter at an Ob/Gyn office, where she worked mainly with pregnant Chinese women. Upon graduating, Tang landed an internship at the organization, spending another year as a medical interpreter and leading language and cultural workshops for businesses.

Back in Hong Kong, Tang joined the largely student led pro-democratic Umbrella Revolution movement. Originally called Occupy Central with Love and Peace, the movement later became known for the umbrellas protestors used to protect themselves from the teargas of police. While participating in the occupation on the streets of her hometown, Cecilia met a reporter who was looking for translators for their Facebook group, called Translators for Dialogue in HK.

“I was translating news from day to night every day for three months,” Tang said. They had a team of 20 reporters and translators. A reporter on the street would send up news in Chinese, then Tang and the other translators would post the information in English on the page. Even though the protests have died down, Tang says the movement goes on and the role of translators is as important as ever to “continue to raise global awareness of the freedoms the people of Hong Kong are fighting for.” 

When asked about her program at the Institute Tang says, “It’s very demanding, but I want myself to be expected to perform at that high level. I realize I still have a long way to go.” She says her classmates are amazing, “Everyone has a lot to offer in class and in their daily life. Every time I talk to them, I’m inspired by their stories and experiences.” 

On campus, Tang is always seen with a smile on her face. It takes her forever to walk to class because she knows everyone and has to stop and say hi, so it’s no surprise that she was elected to be a student council representative. “I want to be the voice of people’s opinions,” she says, “to help them speak out.”

Launched in 1991, the Visiting Fellows Program at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) hosts five to 12 fellows for a semester to work on an independent research project. While on campus, these key members of the Institute’s diverse and international community share highlights of their expertise and participate in seminars and lectures. Fellows also provide leads and mentoring to students seeking internships.

Although the program initially offered training and research opportunities to officials and academics from the former Soviet republics, today’s fellows include faculty, diplomats, and other practitioners from Burkina Faso, Chile, China, Egypt, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Mali, Pakistan, South Africa, and Turkey.

“We think of our fellows as resident experts in their fields,” says Rachel Christopherson, program manager for the Institute’s Center for the Blue Economy. The center, whose work focuses on using innovative tools to address ocean and coastal resource management issues, currently has two fellows: Mark J. Spalding, president of The Ocean Foundation, and Dr. Brendan Kelly, a leading researcher on the Arctic. Both will spend time on campus during the academic year delivering lectures and seminars, collaborating with faculty and students, and sharing their expertise with campus colleagues.

Fellows at the Institute’s Cyber Initiative help students gain digital literacy via instruction and career guidance, while also conducting research and helping identify funding opportunities. Cyber Initiative fellows include Dr. Linton Wells, former chief information officer for the Department of Defense;, Dr. Walter Christman, founder of the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies; and Brian Steckler, a specialist in using technology to assist in humanitarian crises.

Fellows’ contributions to the Institute range far beyond simply conducting research. They deepen and enrich the experiences of students, faculty, and staff by introducing fresh perspectives and adding to the Institute’s global web of professional connections.

Ewandro Magalhães MACI ’08 had already published a book on professional interpreting and built a successful career as a translator and interpreter in Brazil when he came to Monterey as an advanced entry student in the Conference Interpretation program in 2007. “I was presenting myself as an expert without having the right degree,” he says, adding that he expected to finish his master’s degree and go back home to continue his career where he left off.

As part of a new course offered by Prof. Patrick Cotter on “Managing International Marine Pollution,” students in the International Environmental Policy program at the Middlebury Institute had the opportunity to experience a United Nations diplomatic meeting at the International Maritime Organization in London. This voluntary immersive learning opportunity was arranged by Professor Cotter through his work for the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of International and Tribal Affairs and his responsibilities as a technical representative on U.S. delegations. 

“It was incredibly exciting to be able to see policy-making in action. Watching the way in which the delegates communicate with one another to get their positions across was truly an invaluable experience,” remarked Melis Okter MAIEP ’16. Classmate Mairi MacEachern MAIEP '16 adds that it was a great opportunity for networking and “being able to get some inside information about how and why each country proposed changes and how big of a difference word choice can make in the results of these meetings.” Okter, MacEachern and five other students traveled to London with Professor Cotter in October for the annual meeting of the Governing Bodies for the London Convention and London Protocol, which deals with global protection of the marine environment and human health from ocean dumping of waste and other matter. 

The students attended five lectures on the organizations involved before their departure and prepared position papers on selected agenda topics that were scheduled for discussion and debate at the meeting they attended. The format for the papers was based on the design used by the U.S. delegation at previous meetings. In addition to attending the full session, the Middlebury Institute “mock delegation” met with several delegates, including members of the U.S. delegation and representatives from Canada, Panama, and Turkey. They also visited the U.S. Embassy in London and enjoyed a “great discussion” with the environment, science, technology, and health counselor at the U.S. Embassy to hear about his work coordinating with nations before the UN Conference on Climate Change, which is scheduled for Paris, France from November 30 to December 11, and his career as a foreign service officer with the U.S. Department of State.

“Being able to see the delegates from various countries interacting with each other to tackle complex issues really helped to put a lot of the things we work on at in class into context,” shares MacEachern. She notes that being able to rely on professor Cotter's knowledge of the IMO and the delegates was especially valuable. “He was able to share what had happened in previous years to help us better understand the meeting and the milestones that were being reached.”